Skip to main content

tv   Early Start  CNN  January 30, 2013 5:00am-7:00am EST

5:00 am
that's it for us. "early start" begins now. hostage standoff happening right now. a gun man storms a school bus, shoots the driver, and kidnaps a child. >> we have a live report straight ahead. and tornado warning near a major city. a possible twister in the nashville area. and a baseball superstar named in connection with a major cheating scandal. alex rodriguez in a new report on performance enhancing drugs. good morning. as we said, a lot going on. welcome to early sta"early sta." >> it is wednesday, january 30,
5:01 am
5:00 a.m. happening right now, police in alabama involved in an all night standoff with a suspected gunman after they say he shot a school bus driver and then took a child. it is happening in midland city. wfsa sys the bus driver is dead. police say the suspect described as a man in his late 60s, grabbed a 6-year-old off the bus, took him to his nearby home. they've been hold up in some kind of underground bunker ever since this all began and a reporter is live in midland city with the latest. what can you tell us, josh? >> i can tell that yyou that as this hour, they're still in the underground bunker. authorities say even though the child is still being held, he is physically okay. now, one law enforcement official indicated to us earlier that the little boy has special needs and is perhaps autistic.
5:02 am
the fbi is now in charge of this operation which has been going for now almost 12 hours. yesterday he allegedly boarded a school bus and demanded at least one child be taken hostage. and that is when the bus driver resisted. we're told by witnesses that he moved to protect the kids and that's when he was shot multiple times. the bus driver has since died and since then, the man and the hostage have been in the underground bunker. he's in his 60s, white male, neighbors say he has a history of mental issues and has had a prior brush with the law. he was arrested in december on a menacing charge. he had a court appearance scheduled for today for that charge and it's believed that the shooting and hostage situation is somehow connected to that upcoming court appearance. again, the young victim is still being held as a hostage, but is
5:03 am
physically okay. neighbors say he's been working on the bunker for a long time now and we're told that he may have enough food to last several months. >> thank you very much, josh. i know we'll continue to follow this developing sorry. a scary night and morning for other places in the south. there are tornado warnings in the nashville area. this is a live picture from nashville where there is a threat of hail, high winds and possible tornadoes. >> unfortunately seeing a lot of severe weather through the overnight hours. 200 reports of wind and 3 reports of tornado. in just the last hour, a report of a tornado. we'll continue to monitor it.
5:04 am
possible area off towards the northeast. and of course the severe weather threat will remain with us throughout the day. the risk extending from indiana all the way down through louisiana and these are quick moving storms. so keep in mind some of the stores are moving anywhere from 50 to 75 miles an hour. so be aware of your surroundings. what we'll see towards the afternoon, atlanta some severe weather and through the evening, anywhere from mid-atlantic all the way down through the southeast, this threat will remain. here's where the threat area is. all the way down through the southeast and that won't be the end of the story. this whacky weather will continue. the air is diving down back to the south and all that cold air will go over the great lakes and
5:05 am
tap into all the moisture it's been pulling out of the gulf and with that heavy snow and lake-effect snow will be back in the raft. so, yes, this whacky weather not ending any time soon. >> stay with us. it is a tense morning with the threat of severe weather. it is 5 past the hour. the buzz is building on on wall street. the dow and s&p 500 both flirting with all-time highs. isn't that good news. stocks closed higher yesterday with the dow settling within 50 points of the 14,000 mark. it is the dow's highest level in five years and it's about 200 points shy of an all-time high. the s&p 500 closed at 1508 yesterday, less than 60 points from a record high. so even after the european debt crisis, the fiscal cliff, lingering concerns about unemployment, what has been stoking all the investor optimism? one of the big drivers is a sector that christine romans has been cheering on for months now.
5:06 am
>> within 200 points of an all-time high, this has been a monster january. individual investors are pouring back into the market, so that is helping to push things forward. you also have sectors less sensitive to the economy, those are areas where investors are pushing a lot of money because they're worried overall about the pace of economic growth but they think there's something happening here in the economy, slow healing that will help corporate profits. the dow and s&p 500, they are a gauge, a temperature, if you will, of how companies are doing, not necessarily how you are doing. so why are they so close to this high again? the fed has been stimulating the company for months. actually years now. corporate profits are still holding in their, companies are making more money. not necessarily with hiring, but they are making more money and that benefits shareholders. doesn't benefit employees, but it benefits hair shoulders.
5:07 am
so that's what you are when you own stocks. and that healing economy is something we're seeing piece after piece of data show us. we'll get a lot more this week. people feel better about housing. putting money into stocks again because the value of your biggest asset is rising. in november, year over year, home prices rose 5.5%. i haven't been able to say that for years. >> that's a good looking graph. >> if you're a homeowner, if you're in the market, very low mortgage rates, that's because the fed has been keeping interest rates very low. a lot to get through today. boeing before the bell. facebook after the closing bell. a gdp number, jobs reportfully. still a lot of risk in the market, but investors feeling better about stocks. many people think you'll see all-time highs this week. >> the housing prices, are they across the nation? >> what i showed you is a 20 city average. all real estate is local. it's been a little flatter in
5:08 am
new york, a little flatter in chicago. but other places, it had a bigger bust. >> beautiful. thank you. love the good news. another steroid black eye for major league baseball. we've been chatting about this all morning. a published report links alex rodriguez and other major leaguers to a florida clinic that is described as the east coast version of balco. in other words, selling perform afternoons enhancing drugs to ballplayers. a-rod has denied any association with the clinic, but he has a track record of denying about juicing before finally fessing up for it. baseball says it is investigating all of the allegations and we'll get more on the story from john zarrella. >> reporter: the anti-age clinic was called bay owe genesis, it was run out of this office building in coral gables until about two weeks ago when it shut
5:09 am
down. now it's in yet another saga. a report published in the miami new times says this clinic was a pipeline to peds for several players. >> it's clear that bio genesis like a lot of anti-aging clinics was selling a lot of hdh, a number of other drugs that are widely banned in sports. testosterone, anti-by on the lick steroids. the records we've seen indicate that as for the average population, he was providing the same kind of drugs to professional athletes. >> reporter: according to major league baseball, players named in the article have already been disciplined under the league's joint drug program. in a statement major league baseball said, quote, we're in the midst of an active investigation and are gathering and reviewing information. we will refrain from any further comment until this process is
5:10 am
complete, end quote. representatives of new york yankee alex rodriguez identified in the new times article but not named as being disciplined issued this outright denial. quote, the news reports about a purported relationship between alex rodriguez and anthony bosh are not true. alex rodriguez was not mr. bosh's patient, he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him. gee owe gonzalez, a washington nationals pitcher also named in the article tweeted, i've never used performance enhancing drugs of any kind and i never will. i've never met or spoken to tony bosh. the man tony bosh referred to is reported by the new times to be the man who ran the anti-aging clinic. now, we tried repeatedly to find tony bosh to reach out to him. have not been able to find him or reach him.
5:11 am
the drug enforcement administration would not say whether it is investigating either bosh or this clinic. >> so a-rod lied back in 2009, so what do you think will happen, do you think the yankees will receiver ties? >> reporter: it's an interesting point because a vod still owed more than $100 million on his contract. he just had hip surgery recently. there's a possibility he could be out at last half of the season, perhaps the entire season. reports certainly indicate that the relationship between the yankees and a-rod has gone down in recent years. but back in 2007, he went on the air in an interview with katie couric, we have a snippet of that, where he denied using performance enhancing drugs. >> for the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance enhancing substance? >> no.
5:12 am
>> have you ever been tempted to use any of those things? >> no. >> reporter: of course it came out a year later, a-rod held a huge news conferenceoff in tampa during spring training, we were there for that, where he again had to basically admit that he was using those drugs. >> john zarrella live for us. thank you. so i want to ask you a question because this is $100 million. you know all things sports. for $100 million, is guaranteed money? >> a guaranteed contract. but if he is found conclusively to have used performance enhancing drugs, it's not impossible the yankees could try to void part of the contract. with his hip injury, they might try to get him to leave the game so they don't have to pay him and insurance would take over. >> this is really tough stuff to prove. >> very tough to prove. other news. new developments in the night club fire in brazil.
5:13 am
death toll stands at 235. 74 people remain in critical condition. investigators say the fire was caused by the band's use of a cheap flare intended for outdoor use. before everyone had an iphone, they had a blackberry. could those days actually return? more on the company's comeback attempt it is launching today. ♪ good morning, turtle. ♪ my friends are all around me ♪ my friends, they do surround me ♪ ♪ i hope this never ends ♪ and we'll be the best of friends ♪ ♪ all set? all set. [ male announcer ] introducing the reimagined 2013 chevrolet traverse, with spacious seating for up to eight. imagine that.
5:14 am
progress-oh! -oh! -oh! oh! oh! ♪ what do you know? oh! ♪ bacon? -oh! -oh! oh! [ female announcer ] with 40 delicious progresso soups at 100 calories or less, there are plenty of reasons
5:15 am
people are saying "progress-oh!" share your story for a chance to win a progress-oh! makeover in hollywood. go to facebook.com/progresso to enter. sven gets great rewards for his small business! how does this thing work? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that's ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve great rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? here's your invoice. what's in your wallet? ♪ let's face it. everyone has their own way of doing things. at university of phoenix we know learning is no different. so we offer personalized tools and support, that let our students tackle the challenge
5:16 am
of going back to school, like they do anything else... their way. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. christine romans is minding your business. big business news today. she has a preview of the blackberry 10 coming out later this morning. >> this is the company that pretty much put e-mail in your phone, right? and then it lost its way. this is the battle of the smartphones. after delaying a release for more than a year, research in motion's hotly anticipated
5:17 am
blackberry 10 will be unveiled. touch screen technology, redesigned app world and something r.i.m. is calling blackberry balance. that's something to get users the options to have more than one profile, allowing you to keep your business and your personal separate on the same device. what everyone really wants to know is can r.i.m. stage a comeback. its shares are up from their all-time low, up here, but take a look at what's happened to blackberry over the past few years. the stock has crumbled down 76% over three years. a pioneer in smart phone technology, blackberry used to be the go-to to, but it couldn't keep up, a lost a lot of customerses to the iphone and android. i want you to look at this pie chart here. blackberry commands just 5% now of the smartphone market. three years ago, it has 20%. the android had just a sliver a
5:18 am
few years ago. now it has 67% of the smartphone market. 4% was the -- android had 4% three years ago, now has that big chunk there. what this graph really shows, dramatic changes in the cell phone industry over just the past few years. can blackberry return to its glory days? they'll try and we'll be rolling it all out this morning. we'll have everything and we'll show to you. >> it's like the long bomb thrown by blackberry. thanks. 18 after the hour. want to get you up to speed. violent protests raging through the night in egypt. protesters ignoring president morsi's curfew orders in the political turmoil now threatening the nation's future. the army chief is warning the clashes could lead on to the total collapse of the very young government. dozens have died in six days of protests marking two years since the fall of the last government. ashley judd is getting a
5:19 am
divorce after 11 years. judd was a constant present at the races throughout their marriage. he just won his third indy 500 last may after news of the divorce broke, ashley judd tweeted that they will be, quote, family forever despite the breakup. >> a sad one. they were a constant presence together. >> yeah, made me sad, too. south korea announcing they successfully launched their first satellite into space. this just weeks after north korea launched their own rocket. south korea's previous launch attempts in 2009 and 2010 failed. president obama with a challenge for congress. get to work on immigration reform or he will start pushing his own plan. we'll hear more from the president coming up. ♪ [ male announcer ] when we built the cadillac ats from the ground up to be the world's best sport sedan... ♪ ...people noticed. ♪
5:20 am
the all-new cadillac ats -- 2013 north american car of the year. ♪ for a limited time, take advantage of this exceptional offer on the all-new cadillac ats. exceptional offer ( ♪ ) for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready. for the days when you get a sudden call from the school, be ready. for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. when you have children's motrin on hand, you're ready. for high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer than children's motrin. be ready with children's motrin. gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more... [ midwestern/chicago accent ] cheddar! yeah! 50 percent more [yodeling] yodel-ay-ee-oo. 50% more flash. [ southern accent ] 50 percent more taters. that's where tots come from.
5:21 am
[ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn. it's the card for people who like more cash. 50% more spy stuff. what's in your wallet? this car is too small. what's in your wallet? ♪
5:22 am
(train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle.
5:23 am
and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro. president obama turning upped pressure on congress over immigration reform. during a speech yesterday, he told the crowd the time is now. and he said if congress doesn't act in a timely fashion, he will put up his own legislation for a vote. brianna keilar explains what's different about the president's plan. >> let me start off by thanking everybody at del sol high school for hosting us. >> reporter: they chose this nevada high school with the majority latino student body to roll out the details of what mr.
5:24 am
obama calls the number one legislative priority of his second term. >> the time has come for comprehensive immigration reform. >> reporter: just 24 hours after a bipartisan group of senators unveiled their outline of imgragts reform bill, the president delivered a warning. >> if congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion, i will accepted up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away. >> reporter: mr. obama's plan includes a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the u.s., requiring applicants undergo background checks, pay taxes and penalty and learn english. it would crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers. >> it won't be a quick process, but it will be a fair process and it will lift these individuals out of the shadows and give them a chance to earn their way to a green card and eventually to citizenship.
5:25 am
>> reporter: the president's plan does not outline a guest worker program, nor does it tie a pathway to citizen ship to tighter border security, both part of the senate plan. >> that issue i think is a lifeline for most of us involving in this effort. >> reporter: rubio seemed to win rush limbaugh over. >> what you're doing is admirable and noteworthy. you are recognizing reality. >> reporter: some conservatives fear granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants may encourage more to come. >> it doesn't matter if it was clinton or if it was reagan. what we've learned is if you grant amnesty, what do you get? more amnesty. more illegal entry. and so what we want to make certain is that we have learned those lessons. >> reporter: bee an nna brianna keilar, cnn, washington. baltimore ravens star ray lewis is answering questions about a new scandal.cnn, washin.
5:26 am
baltimore ravens star ray lewis is answering questions about a new scandal. has to do with deer antlers. seriously. [ record scratch ] what?! it's not bad for you. it just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal -- heart-healthy, whole grain oats. you can't go wrong loving it. ♪ let's go. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the all-new cadillac xts... another big night on the town, eh? ...and the return of life lived large. ♪ hi, i'm ensure clear... clear, huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got nine grams of protein. that's three times more than me! [ female announcer ] ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat.
5:27 am
in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. nine grams protein. zero fat. ...so as you can see, geico's customer satisfaction is at 97%. mmmm tasty. and cut! very good. people are always asking me how we make these geico adverts. so we're taking you behind the scenes. this coffee cup, for example, is computer animated. it's not real. geico's customer satisfaction is quite real though. this computer-animated coffee tastes dreadful. geico. 15 minutes could save you 15 % or more on car insurance. someone get me a latte will ya, please? or that printing in color had to cost a fortune. nobody said an all-in-one had to be bulky. or that you had to print from your desk. at least, nobody said it to us. introducing the business smart inkjet all-in-one series from brother. easy to use. it's the ultimate combination of speed, small size, and low-cost printing.
5:28 am
5:29 am
a black eye for baseball. alex rodriguez among those named in a new report on performance enhancing drugs. a woman brazenly attacked in a place where she thought she would be safe. i am so looking forward to monday when i have no schedule. >> she's not going to know what to do with herself. hillary clinton's last days at the state department. she talks to cnn about her tenure and her plans for the future. welcome back to "early start."
5:30 am
happy you're with us this morning. >> it is wednesday, january 30, 29 past the hour right now. and we are on severe weather watch this morning. there are tornado warnings right now in the nashville area. so let's get straight over to idra. >> the line is expected to stay with us all the way through this evening. we do continue to have the tornado warnings in effect up about 10:00 in the morning and we actually have reports about an hour ago of a touchdown of a tornado. we're waiting to hear reports whether there were actually roofs blown off in the area. so we continue to monitor that. as i zoom out, you can see the line of storms. still a lot of severe weather in effect. these celling moving 45, even 75 miles an hour. very quick to move. you won't have much time to take cover, so please of course pay attention to your surroundings. we have a funky map out there.
5:31 am
hopefully we can get you back out here real quickly to what we're looking at weather-wise. there you go. and notice all the severe weather. here is the timing of the system. it will be going to the east right ahead of that cold front throughout the day today. by the afternoon as we warm up, we'll see this intensify especially out tlou the afternoon out towards atlanta and then it will kick of off, we'll see these warnings continue. notice how widespread the severe weather threat is. all the way from the mid-atlantic region right down through the southeast. the threat will remain with us throughout the day. >> pay attention to these weather warning, everyone. it is serious. 31 past the hour. it is official. the u.s. senate overwhelmingly approved john kerry to succeed hillary clinton as secretary of state. >> and the nomination of john forbes kerry of massachusetts to be our new secretary of state is confirmed. >> kerry could be sworn this for his new post as early as friday. that's secretary clinton's
5:32 am
friday day on the job. so before stepping down as secretary of state, hillary clinton sat down with cnn to talk about what she has accomplished during her tenure at the state department. secretary clinton says when we consider her legacy, americans must go back to the beginning. >> i think we have to go back to my beginning in january of 2009 to remember how poorly perceived the united states was, how badly damaged our reputation was, how our leadership was in question, how the economic crisis had really shaken people's confidence in our government, our economic system, our country. part of my job in the very beginning was to get around the world and restore confidence in american leadership. >> and she certainly can it get around the world. elyse, i know she says go back to the beginning, but you pressed her on something that
5:33 am
everybody wants to know. whether she'll run in 2016. >> that's what everybody wants to know. earlier this will her tenure, people were still wondering about 2016 and she kept saying no, no, absolutely not. this year i think it's softening a little bit. let's take a listen. >> in april, you told wolf blitzer for 2016 that's not in your future. but you seem to be, i don't know, leaving some wiggle room there. have you decided? >> no, no. i'm so looking forward to monday when i have no schedule, no office to go to, no responsibilities. >> i'm sorry, madame secretary, you know the party says the field is clear and open for you until you make your decision. have you decided that you absolutely will not run? >> well, i have absolutely no plans to run. >> but look at -- >> you're not saying -- this is not a sherman ecesque statement.
5:34 am
we heard all of these people asking you to run. there's a pack just registered ready for hillary. >> is there really? >> are you going to tell these people to stand down? >> right now i'm trying to finish my term as secretary of state. and the president and i had good laugh the other night because, you know, i am out on of politics right now. and i don't know everything i'll be doing. i'll be working on behalf of women and girls, i'll be hopefully writing and speaking. those are the things i'm planning to do. >> but, of course, definitely not i absolutely will not run, that kind of absolute statement we're looking for. we also talked about women in the cabinet. top four women in the new administration and national security in particular, no women she said that she definitely thinks that there needs to be a way to go with women in the administration and in the united states. we talked about her legacy, what she'll do on her last day. she's really looking forward to
5:35 am
padding around the house and thinking about her new move. >> john is saying elyse rules. it wasn't for a lack of pressing her, so thank you for attempting to -- >> that was categorically the best round of questioning on whether or not she's running that i have seen to date. >> thank you, yae lease. >> great job. love that. 35 after the hour. some shocking courtroom video here out of ohio. a man jumps from his seat and chases his ex-girlfriend around the table, tackling her in the corner and punching her repeatedly. this happened in a courtroom. a bailiff uses his taser on the man and finally stops the attack. the attacker shonn greene is in jail. the woman was bruised and taken to the hospital. that is terrifying. 35 after the hour. and an american woman missing for more than a week in turkey, now her family is there looking for her. and she may have been caught on camera before she vanished.
5:36 am
we'll go live to istanbul coming up. [ male announcer ] pillsbury grands biscuits. delicious. but say i press a few out flat... add some beef sloppy joe sauce... and cheese fold it all up and boom! i just made an unbeatable unsloppy joe pillsbury grands biscuits. let the making begin. with olay, here's how. new regenerist eye and lash duo the cream smooths the look of lids... softens the look of lines. the serum instantly thickens the look of lashes. and the award for wow eyes in just one week goes to you. all stations come over to mission a no go call. go. this is for real this time. we are on step seven point two one two. we have entered our two minute hold. cabin venting has been inhibited. copy that. sys two, verify and lock. command is locked.
5:37 am
flight computer state has entered auto idyll. three, two, one. the falcon 9 has launched. preparing for nose cone separation. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. so i used my citi thankyou card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. ♪ things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your citi thankyou points to travel whenever you want.
5:38 am
visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. with fancy feast mornings want. gourmet cat food. (announcer) make mornings special, mornings are delicious protein rich entrees with garden veggies and egg. fancy feast mornings. the best ingredient is love. [ construction sounds ] ♪ [ watch ticking ] [ engine revs ] come in. ♪ got the coffee. that was fast. we're outta here. ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up- relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®.
5:39 am
38 past the hour. to turkey. a husband and brother are desperately searching for an american woman who vanished without a trace. sarai sierra was traveling through europe on her own but was in close contact back home. she was last heard from, however, on january 21st. the day before she was supposed to fly back to new york. she never showed up for that flight. most of her belongings including her passport found in her istanbul hotel room. ivan watson with more. >> reporter: a lone american woman on vacation in turkey's largest city. this individual yoe shows sarai sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, in a shopping mall on january 20th. she hasn't been heard from, her
5:40 am
worried husband says, in more than a week. >> the fear that i'm not there to protect her, you know. and that powers me. >> reporter: sierra flu to istanbul on on january 7th. it was this native new yorker's first international trip family and friends say. and she made the transatlantic journey solo. >> she did a lot of homework before she left, a lot of research about the area, about where she was going to stay. the safest places to go, the time of day to travel. >> reporter: her instragram feed shows photos of istanbul's stunning skyline and photos of the train station and architecture in am sister bam. police say sierra flu to the netherlands and germany on january 15th and then returned to turkey four days later. the manager of sierra's hotel in istanbul told cnn he last saw her on january 20th, the same night this security camera video
5:41 am
was shot. she left her passport and most of her belongings behind in the low tell family members say, but not her ipad, which she appeared to be using in the food court of the shopping mall. this week sierra's husband and brother traveled in new york to istanbul. on tuesday, they spent the day at police headquarters here meeting with officers from the missing person's unit, both american and turkish authorities are working hand-in-hand on the search. >> all authorities, everyone from the u.s. to the locals in turkey, are working this as a missing person. they've elevated it to every level possible. so i know that they're conducting a very logical investigation and they're pulling out all the stops. >> reporter: family and friends hope and pray they can soon bring the missing mother back to her children.
5:42 am
i spoke with sierra's husband this morning by phone, steven. he's here in istanbul. he says that he's very worried about his wife, that she could be cold or scared right now. he also says it was wrench toino go to the police headquarters and to be given his wife's belongings that have been left behind in her empty hotel room. and in the to see her. at the same time he said he was very encouraged to see how seriously the turkish police are taking the missing person's case and all he can do is bawait as they continue their work to try to find his missing wife and the missing mother of these two children back home in staten island. >> you mentioned police say sierra briefly left turkey, she traveled to amsterdam and new in addition before returning to istanbul. have police said what she was doing in those cities, did she go to visit anyone? >> reporter: we don't know that
5:43 am
exactly. the family has said in previous interviews that they knew that she was traveling to other countries and then returning home. the turkish police have basically given the passport in and out dates, the four days she was out of the country before she came back here to turkey. i can say that as far as istanbul goes, she was staying in the downtown in an area that is frequented by thousands and thousands of foreign tourists every day. it's pretty safe area. she was in a glitzy shopping mall where she was filmed. and we're hearing reports that some of her social media information, facebook or whatever, has been shared with the police. but there's a big mystery. for one thing, the husband and brother of sarai sierra, a church has helped raise funds for them to come here and work on this case, but how does she herself pay for all these
5:44 am
flights in and around. it's extensive travel. so a big question to answer. >> a lot of questions in this story. ivan watson, thank you very much. >> and two kids, so it is very sad. 43 after the hour. she is the teen tennis sensation who shocked the world by upsetting serena williams at the australian open. coming up, my question with sloan stevens. what it's like to face and beat one of your idles. with the spark cash card from capital one, olaf gets great rewards for his small business! pizza! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve great rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet?
5:45 am
it'll cause cavities, bad breath. patients will try and deal with it by drinking water. water will work for a few seconds but if you're not drinking it, it's going to get dry again. i recommend biotene. all the biotene products like the oral rinse...the sprays have enzymes in them. the whole formulation just works very well. it leaves the mouth feeling fresh. if i'm happy with the results and my patients are happy with the results, i don't need to look any farther.
5:46 am
then you're going to love this. right now they're only $14.95! wow-a grt deal just got a whole lot better. hurry. $14.95 won't last.
5:47 am
47 past the hour. wall street will be flirting with all-time highs today. we're happy to report the dow at a five year high and within reach of the 14,000 benchmark. it's about 200 points shy of an all-time high. s&p 500 also near a record closing at 1508 yesterday. less than 60 points from a record high. i love that. >> alex rodriguez one of the players linked to a new steroid
5:48 am
scandal rocking major league baseball. a report in the miami new times says a south florida anti-aging clinic served as a pipeline to performance enhancing drugs for several players. bio genesis like a lot of anti-age clinics was selling a lot of hgh, a number of other drugs that are widely banned in sports. testosterone, anabolic steroids. major league baseball says it's in the midst of an active investigation concerning the latest allegations. meantime a-rod's representatives deny he had anything to do with the clinic or its owner. gonzalez another the player named in the article. he also denies ever using peds a or even meeting bosh. ray lewis is denying a sports illustrated report that claims he used a banned subs stance while recovering a torn triceps this season. the article claims lewis was
5:49 am
given deer antler spray to speed up his recovery. the spray contain as substance that appears on the nfl's banned list. >> every test i've ever took in the nfl, there's they ever been a question if i've ever even thought about using anything. so it's even to entertain stupidity like that, go get a story on somebody else. >> lewis will read tlead the ra this sunday at the super bowl. >> there is a notion out there in the world among some people that by getting the spray, it will help you recover more quickly. but no real science to back that up. >> clearly he allegedly thinks it was. >> a sports story of a much different nature now. no one has seen more stunned than sloan stevens. everyone was buzzing about this 19-year-old phenom who grew up
5:50 am
with serena williams' posters on her bedroom wall. now she has posters of herself on her wall. i had a chance to talk to sloan stevens from her home in los angeles. sloan, first of all, congratulations. >> thank you. >> so it's been about a week now. has it finally sunk in how far you got? >> yeah. i don't have as much free time as normal, but it's between, i think. >> yeah, i think it's pretty good to get to the semifinals of a grand slam tournament. and today the news you're 17th in the world. the highest you've ever been. >> yeah, that's really good. so i'm excited. >> what's your goal by the end of the year, where do you think you'll be? >> i'm not sure, but one of my friends, we just made a bet that i'd be top ten by the end of the summer. so hopefully i can get to that goal and then at the end of the year, get a little higher.
5:51 am
>> that's pretty good. and as you said, you're starting to get the recognition. you're doing ellen. a lot busier than you were before. and of course there is twitter. how many followers are you up to now? >> 60,000 as of last night. >> not that you're checking or anything. that's fantastic. >> yeah. no th not that i -- >> and a shaquille o'neal tweeted you. he wrote when you defeat a legend you become a legend. keep going. what's it feel like to get tweets like that? >> that is unbelievable. i mean like shaq tweeted me. that's insane. i couldn't even think of anything toe say back. i was just so nervous. i think i was more nervous about him tweeting me than like actually the match. >> and john legend, every out there, everyone is extremely impressed with what you did. of course the impressive feet was beating serena williams in the quarter finals. what was that like?
5:52 am
>> i don't know how i did it, but i did and i was so excited. it was so much fun. and like the energy and all the people that were there cheering, it was such a good atmosphere and i just loved being out there. i wish could i do it again. >> a lot of people pointed out that you had a poster of serena williams on your wall growing up. was she an idol, or are people making too much of this? >> i think people make a really big deal out of it, but i don't know, i did have a picture of her and i mean, it had to go, but i still have it. >> do you think people make so much of it because you're both african-american women tennis players? >> yeah, i think so, but there needs to be a story about everything. so i think i'd rather it be that than something negative. so it's okay. >> you say this has to be a story about everything. i'm from boston and i watched your father play football and i've heard about your mother for
5:53 am
years when she was a swimmer. your relationship with your father was interesting. not someone you met very many times and then of course he passed away tragically in 2009. how did that affect you? >> it was really stuff. my stepdad had just passed away and then my dad passed away, sos of tough for all of us. but i mean now we've grown so much as a family, me, my mom, my brother. and i think my mom has done a really good job with me and my brother just making sure we're stable and have a good environment to be around. it's been a long process, but definitely a learning one and a good one. >> and finally, a lot of people have talked about in women's tennis why can't the u.s. produce more competitive women's tennis players. after it the williams' sister, they's been a big gap. do you think your emergence is a sign that americans are finally producing the quality players again? >> yeah, i think it's a good sign. even after me, there's a lot of other girls that are below me
5:54 am
that are still coming up and playing great tennis and i think it's a really good sign that i'm in top 20 now and there are a lot of girls in the top 100 trying to get that break through. and i think until venous and serena retire, we don't have anything to worry about. when they're gone and they need someone to replace, i think there will be plenty willing to step in. >> sloan stevens again congratulations and please come talk to us again when you break number ten in the world. >> of course i will. >> take care. so sloan stevens is my new favorite athlete. she shares an itunes account with her mom, so aumt music on their ipods is mixed up and her mother listens to bury mear bar manil manilow. we love her. >> what a wonderful young lady. seemed far more excited about shaq than winning. coming up, a packed hour ahead for you on "early start."
5:55 am
she's a school girl shot by the taliban for standing up for women's rights. now there's new information on the technology that will make her a skull. a live report in the next hour. plus we told you they are in-destrue str indestructible. have they saved the twinkie. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. your soups are so awesomely delicious my husband and i can't stop eating 'em! what's...that... on your head? can curlers! tomato basil, potato with bacon...
5:56 am
we've got a lot of empty cans. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. hi, i'm ensure clear... clear, huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got nine grams of protein. that's three times more than me! [ female announcer ] ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. ♪ [ male announcer ] this is karen and jeremiah. they don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love, get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country,
5:57 am
and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married, they'll find some retirent people who are paid on salary, not commission. they'll get straightforward guidance and be able to focus on other things, like each other, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade.
5:58 am
welcome back. 58 after the hour right now. we'll take a look at the top cnn trends on on the web this morning. >> so it's a chance to get free tickets and annoy paying customers in the process. listen to this.
5:59 am
a theater in rhode island is one of the latest to set aside a special section of tweet seats where people are encouraged to live tweet their impressions of the performance and generate a lot of buzz. the seats are in the back to avoid distracting others and people are asked to remain discreet while they tweet. i don't know. i don't like this. i like sitting in the back. >> late night laughs. conan and jimmy fallon got in the super bowl fever. check it out. >> first super bowl ever where the coaches are brothers. isn't that cool? here's the latest. jackie harbaugh, the mother of the two coaches, she would really like the super bowl to end in a tie. yeah. however, just to be safe, she has 20 grand on the ravens. she didn't want to screw around. >> "early start" continues right now.
6:00 am
a hostage standoff happening right now. a gun man storm as school bus, shoots the driver, and kidnaps and kidnaps a child. tornado warning near a major city. severe storms east of nashville and on the move. a baseball superstar, one of the biggest named in connection with a major new cheating scandal. yankees slugger alex rodriguez in the new report on performance enhancing drugs. 14,000 reasons to check your 401(k). the dow flirts with highs not seen since before the big financial fall. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm john berman. a lot going on. police in alabama involved in an all-nightstandoff with a suspected gunned off after he shot a school bus driver and took a child this is happening in midland city. our affiliate wfxa says the bus
6:01 am
driver is dead. the suspect described as a man in his late 60s grabbed a 6-year-old boy off the bus and took him to his nearby home. they have been holed up in an underground bunker ever since. a reporter with whdn is live in midland city with the latest. josh what is the latest? >> reporter: i can tell you, as of this hour, the suspect, jimmy lee dikes and his 6-year-old hostage are held on the underground bunker on dikes' property. even though the child is still being held, he is physically okay. one law enforcement official indicated that the little boy has special needs and is perhaps autistic. the fbi is now in charge of the operation, which has been going on for over 12 hours. yesterday, this all started after dikes allegedly boarded a dale county school bus and demanded at least one child be taken hostage. the bus driver, although,
6:02 am
resisted that request and moved to protect the kids and was shot multiple times by dikes thereafter. now, the bus driver has since died and since then, dikes and his 6-year-old hostage have been held up in the underground bunker. dikes, in his 60s, white male. a history of mental issues and a prior brush with the law. dikes was arrested in december on a menacing charge. he actually was due in court today for that charge, and it's believed that the shootings and hostage situation is somehow connected to the upcoming court appearance. now, again, the young victim is still held hostage, but, repeat, is okay. authorities say this could go on for quite some time. neighbors say dikes has been working on the bunker quite a while and may have enough food to last him several months. >> terrifying and developing
6:03 am
story in midland city, alabama. josh with our affiliate whdn. thank you. two minutes past the hour. breaking news, tornado warnings across central tennessee and tornado warnings in central kentucky as well. >> a quick-moving system. the line moving from indiana to louisiana, the bulk of the activity and tornado warning out of middle tennessee. ntsu did take to twitter to warning students to take cover. if i take you out, you can tell how large of an area you can see is dealing with the severe weather. we will continue to see this throughout the day, warning after warning after the line of storms moves out ahead of the cold front this is a major wind event. about 200 wind events reported
6:04 am
today. only three tornado warnings reported -- excuse me. tornadoes touching down. south bend, look at the rainfall totals, that's the other side of the storm. the month of january, what we expect for the averafternoon to. the line has showed down, we'll see instability kick up through the afternoon and the storms should move faster, in fact, toward atlanta as we warm up, we'll talk about the severe weather threat, and toward late evening hours, we'll talk mid-atlantic region, straight down through the southeast. that threat will remain. >> thank you, indra. >> wall street getting all worked up when the trading day begins. dow and s & p flirting with all-time highs. stocks posted higher and the doucetling within 50 points of the daily high, and less than 60
6:05 am
points from a record high. even after the you're he woueur debt crisis what is stoking investor optimism? we give christine romans the credit. >> this has been the best start to a year since the 1990s. you've got 800 and some points of the dow jones industrial average just in four weeks and just shy of record highs. many people saying we need to get corporate earnings if they continue to come in strongly and economic news continues to be strong, and the fed meeting continues to say the fed will prop up the economy with stimulus, you will see new highs. let's talk about why here. fed stimulus is one of the things a lot of people talking about. ben bernanke and the fed have a fire hose, and out of that, money being spewed to the system. and keeping interest rates low, that has helped corporate profits, holding in there. not hiring, but companies are making money, and investors are
6:06 am
coming back. we have seen billions of dollars of money coming in to investors looking to get into stocks again, feeling more convinced about the economy. and it's easy to be convinced about the stock market after it is up 500 or 600 points. one of the reasons investors so convincing, housing. it's part of the economy that is clearly recovering. a wealth effect starting to happen again. look at that, 5.5%. home prices rose 5.5%. the year over year increases. haven't seen that in a long, long time. >> love it when you come with good news. steroid scandal rocking major league baseball. a published report links alex rodriguez and other major leaguers to a florida clinic described as the east coast version of balco. in other words, a haven for performance-enhancing drugs. a-rod denied any relationship
6:07 am
with the clinic, but he has a track record of lying about juicing. he lied that he doped before finally fessing up in 2009. baseball is investigating the new allegations and more on the story from cnn's john zarrella in miami. >> the anti aging clinic, called biogensis, run out of the office building in coral gables, florida, until two weeks ago when it shut down. the vacant business in the center of yet another saga of performance-enhancing drugs and major league baseball players. a report in "the miami times" says this clinic was a pipeline for peds. >> they were selling an awful lot of hgh and a number of other drugs banned in sports. testosterone, anabolic steroids,
6:08 am
the records we've seen indicate that as for the average population, he was providing these same kind of drugs to professional athletes. >> and they are banned substances. >> that's correct. >> reporter: according to major league baseball, three players named in the article have been disciplined under the league's joint drug program. major league baseball says "we're in the midst of an active investigation and are gathering and reviewing information. we will refrain from any further comment until this process is complete." representatives of new york yankee alex rodriguez, identified in the "times" article but not named in the discipline, say this. "the new report between alex rodriguez and anthony borsch are not true. alex rodriguez was not mr. borsch's patient. he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him."
6:09 am
a pitcher that was named, tweeted "i have never used performan performance-enhancing drug s of any kind and i never will. i've never met or spoken with tony borsch or used any substances." tony borsch is the bosch is the the company. this is not the first time bosch has been linked to a performance-enhancing drug story. in 2009, there was a story that he had a connection with manny ramirez. no charges ever filed in that alleged investigation. john. >> there is so much history here. the first thing i thought of when i saw a-rod's dances about this story, a-rod had denied
6:10 am
using steroids before. that turned out to be a lie and it doesn't seem the yankees are exactly leaping to his defense right now. >> reporter: no, john. they still owe him more than 100 million on his contract. he had hip surgery recently, may miss half the season, maybe the entire season according to the general manager in new york. so there is a lot of speculation that the relationship is souring. this certainly does not help. we know that back in 2007, he had this to say about whether he used performance enhancing drugs to katie couric. >> for the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance enhancing substance? >>. no. >> have you ever been attempted to use any of those things? >> no. >> reporter: of course, about a year later that a news conference was held in tampa at
6:11 am
spring training when a-rod came back and said, well, you know what? i did use performance-enhancing drugs. you are absolutely right, john. there is the long history with him and it may well be that it is all wearing very thin on yankees manager. >> john zarrella live for us in miami. thank you, john. 11 minutes past the hour. super bowl xlvii days away. the teams are getting ready to the business of football. the xaniness of media day behind us. but seemingly for everybody else, it's a crazy good time. carlos diaz, our eyes and ears in new orleans, joining us now live. carlos, did the har bbaugh brothers provide any billboard material? >> they are 15 months apart, not
6:12 am
like they are distant cousins. these are two guys who grew up, forced to be best friends. you know what happens with best friends? sometimes they want to duke it out. check out the demeanor, john harbaugh, more laid that is correct than his younger brother jim when they talk about how competitive they are. >> you grow up fighting for everything. for the extra hot dog and fight for girls, you fight for everything, so we both got our girls, but we both need our victory this week. >> very exciting playing against my brother, john. the thing i also think about are the san francisco 49ers, the players, they are my brothers. >> john, we fought over hot dogs and girls, and jim, the teammates are my brothers. a dichotomy of two different
6:13 am
personalities. >> and mom saying she wants a tie. >> baltimore ravens' linebacker ray lewis accused of using a banned substance, deer antler spray, to speed up an injury recovery. he was asked at media day. what was his response to this? >> media day is a day where people are jovial and having fun. ray lewis asked multiple times about the allegations that he repaired his triceps quicker than usual with deer antler spray. he blue ew it off the first few times but addressed it the third time he was asked the question. >> i've been in this business 17 years, and nobody has ever got up with me every morning and trained with me. every test i have ever took in the nfl, there has never been a question if i have ever even thought about using anything. to entertain stupidity like
6:14 am
that, tell him to go try to get his story off somebody else. >> the baltimore ravens standing behind lewis, saying he has never failed a drug test in any form or fashion. he is their guy, and they are sticking with him. >> we heard that before, never failed a drug test before. carlos diaz, thank you. enjoy it. 13 past the hour. if you have a toyota or lex us in your garage, listen up. a major recall announced involving more than 1 million vehicles. details, straight ahead. ...tax time can ofbe...well...taxing. so right now we'll give you... ...$10 off any turbo tax deluxe level software or higher! find thousands of big deals now... ...at officemax.
6:15 am
i can't believe your mom let you take her car out.ck! this is awesome! whoooo! you're crazy. go faster! go faster! go faster! go faster! no! stop...stop... (mom) i raised my son to be careful... hi, sweetie. hi, mom. (mom) but just to be safe... i got a subaru. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. with fancy feast mornings livgourmet cat food.e. (announcer) make mornings special, mornings are delicious protein rich entrees
6:16 am
with garden veggies and egg. fancy feast mornings. the best ingredient is love. something this delicious could only come from nature. new nectresse. the 100% natural no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. new nectresse. sweetness naturally. new nectresse. with so much competition, finding the right job is never easy. but with the nation's largest alumni network, including those in key hiring positions,
6:17 am
university of phoenix can help connect you to a world of opportunity. just about 17 minutes past the hour. let's talk news. >> we begin with wall street flirting with all-time highs. the dow, just 50 points shy of 14,000. about 200 points shy of, yes, an all-time high for the dow. the s & p 500 also near a record low. and less than 16 points from the record high. new developments from the nightclub fire in practice zil. death toll stands at 235 after a 25-year-old man passed away last night. the fire caused by the banned use of a cheap flare intended for outdoor use. violent protests raging throughout the night in egypt.
6:18 am
demonstrators ignoring mohamed morsi's curfew orders and the turmoil threatening the nation's future. the army chief is warning that the clashes could lead to the collapse of the young government. dozens have died in the protests. toyota announcing a pair of safety recalls, involving toyota corolla and lexus ix models. a faulty airbag control. these vehicles made between 2003 and 2004. and 270 lexus models, i.s. models between 2006 and early 2012 are being recalled because of a problem with windshield wipers. a wounded warrior who lost arms and legs after fighting in iraq is recovering from a rare double arm transplant. brendan morocco underwent transplant surgery at johns
6:19 am
hopkins in more oko. a former army infantry man met with reporters yesterday to discuss his progress yesterday. discussed one thing he looks forward to doing again with his brand new arms. >> driving. absolutely. driving. i used to love to drive, and it was -- it was a lot of fun for me. so i'm really looking forward to getting back to that. >> we are really happy for you. that surgery took 13 hours. the medical team included 16 expert surgeons from five hospitals, all of whom donated their services to help morocco. good for them. coming up later, on "starting point," we'll hear from two of the doctors at johns hopkins who helped this wounded warrior getting a new pair of arms. >> what an amazing attitude he has and what amazing medicine.
6:20 am
before everyone had an iphone or galaxy, they had a blackberry. remember those? could those days return. >> i still have one what do you mean remember those? >> you are old fashioned. more when we come back. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thankyou card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. ♪
6:21 am
things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your citi thankyou points to travel whenever you want. visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. she can't always move the way she wants. now you can. with stayfree ultra thins. flexible layers move with your body while thermocontrol wicks moisture away. keep moving. stayfree.
6:22 am
then you're going to love this. right now they're only $14.95! wow-a grt deal just got a whole lot better. hurry. $14.95 won't last.
6:23 am
23 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "early start." christine romans minding your business with a preview of the blackberry 10 coming out later this morning. >> oh, i have the old one.
6:24 am
this isn't the new one. do or die for blackberry, battle of the smartphones. we think it has enhanced touch screen technology. something called blackberry balance to keep your business and personal work separate. a lot of companies use this phone and a redesigned app world. r.i.m. needs this to be successful. its shares, recently up on blackberry 10 optimism. the stock over the past three years, oh! crumbled 76%. blackberry crack berry, anyone? the company that addicted to us smartphones in the first place, and then it fell behind. customers love their iphones, and androids. they want mobile browsing, they want a lot more than what blackberry started out with.
6:25 am
blackberry's share of the smartphone pie gets smaller by the minute. 5% of the market. 5% of the market. in 2009, it had 20%. google's android, 67% of the market. up from 4% in 2009. apple's ios, a 20% market share. dramatic changes over the past few years. have you experienced it, right? blackberry is hoping its new blackberry 10 can bring back glory days. >> the blackberry 10, highly anticipated release today. a lot of people think it's the last best hope. >> i want to know what it does. >> getting very good reviews. even if it's perfect. may not be able to save r.i.m., the company that makes blackberry. one thing we need to know about your money? >> first day of tax season, guys. officially submit tax returns today. berman working on his fever ishly. if you are claiming education credits, you have to wait until
6:26 am
mid-february. today is the day you can officially go ahead and file. >> do it early, that's what i say. >> have you been working on it for -- >> a week. seriously. president obama with a challenge to congress. get to work on immigration reform or he'll push his own plan. more from the president, coming right up. one. two. three. my credit card rewards are easy to remember with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. [ both ] 2% back on groceries.
6:27 am
[ all ] 3% on gas. no hoops to jump through. i earn more cash back on the things i buy the most. [ woman ] it's as easy as... one! -two. -[ all ] three! [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms.
6:28 am
get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked. it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.
6:29 am
6:30 am
path of destruction. new images of damage caused by severe storms in tennessee, with tornado warnings still in effect right now. take a look at that. incredible. >> alex rodriguez in the spotlight again, and not in a good way again. among the baseball stars named in a new report on performance-enhancing drugs. i am so looking forward to monday when i have no schedule. rb wh . >> what will she do with herself? she talks to cnn about her tenure and her plans for the future. >> intrigue. >> yes, big intrigue. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm john berman. wednesday morning, 30 minutes past the hour. a new drug scandal has engulfed major league baseball. there is evidence that major leaguers bought human growth hormone and other substances from a clinic in south florida. taking closer look now at how those drugs affect the body.
6:31 am
senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us live from atlanta. all of the talk this morning. what are exactly the dangers of these drugs? >> let's talk about where these drugs come from and why people use them. let's start with human growth hormone, mentioned in the story. human growth hormone is something we all naturally have. made basically in our pituitary glands. what it can do, it can reduce fat and increase muscle mass. but some of the dangers are it can cause bone and muscle pain, diabetes and heart diseasor increase the chance you will get those. let's talk about testosterone, also mentioned in the story. testosterone, a hormone both men and women have. and some people say if you take it, you get bigger, leaner, stronger, and when you have a big workout, it enhances your recovery. makes it easier to recover. but here are some of the dangers. it can increase the chances of getting all sorts of things from sleep apnea to heart disease if
6:32 am
a man already has prostate cancer, may grow that existing prostate cancer. >> like lance armstrong's case. is it illegal for doctors to give these drugs to athletes? >> this is where it gets tricky. human growth hormone, the fda put it in a little bit of a class of its own. illegal to prescribe human growth hormone for athletic performance or body building. it's on the market because some people truly need it for very specific medical problems, but illegal to describe for body building. but doctors get away with it if you are not doing it on a large scale. good chance no one will catch up with you. again, u.s.it's a legal, prescribable substance. testosterone, also on the market for people with certain medical problems, but doctors given a pretty wide berth as to how they can prescribe pretty much any drug. a doctor can prescribe it for
6:33 am
other things, again, if someone catches up with you, and you as a physician start prescribing it to a lot of people, authorities might be looking and asking you to prove that you really needed it and prescribing it within the standard of care. doing it what other doctors would do. >> elizabeth cohen, live in atlanta, thank you very much. developing news. weather news. a line of violent thunderstorms tearing through tennessee and heading east right now. and this is just in to cnn. the first pictures of the damage there. i think you are looking at an 18-wheeler, simply toppled onto it's side. roofs torn off of buildings. there were people in that building. safe at this time. one person killed at this point in this line of storms, that has ripped through parts of the south, including in tennessee. joining us live on the phone, john jewel, director of
6:34 am
emergency management. mr. jewel, what kind of damage are we looking at? >> the damage you had in the picture of the semi-trailer is the concentrated area. we had four buildings in that area damaged, three-story commercial building damaged significantly. me made searches of the buildings and found no one at this point in time. we did have to take the driver of the truck out. but he was not injured. >> is the weather at this point, passed through, or is there -- >> it has -- it has abated now. our first warnings, about 3:15 this morning, we got 14,000 outages, power wise, in the area, and storms tracking from the west to the east along the northern portions of the county, and there is a sporadic number of reports along that line, primarily limbs and blocked roads and things of that nature. >> some isolated nature when we
6:35 am
see the truck down and roof blown off. have you been able to get out and search the entire area to see if there is widespread damage? >> law enforcement has made a pretty extensive search across the county, the sheriff's office and the police department, where you see the damage is. and i think we had a report of one family trapped in a mobile home on dickerson chapel road by a tree. the tree was removed and they were able to get out of the home. >> have you been able to confirm at this point that it was, in fact, a tornado? >> no, that's premature. we have had a couple of reports of wind speeds, one of the stations, 56 miles an hour, we had about 37 miles here in the eoc, and the weather bureau here in wilson county for middle tennessee, recorded about 105 miles an hour at one point, but at this point in time, it's difficult to say whether it's
6:36 am
twisters or straight wind that track would indicate possibly a twister, but it's too early really to tell. >> john jewel from wilson county, emergency management director, thank you. we see the pictures, tractor-trailer flipped over, some roofs blown off. the damage does appear to be isolated at this point. but there are reports of at least one death in the region. so our thanks to john jewel in tennessee. moving on to other news. before leaving her post as secretary of state, hillary clinton sat down with cnn to talk about what she has accomplished during her tenure at the state department. secretary clinton says when we consider her legacy, americans must go back to the beginning. >> remember how poorly perceived the united states was. how badly damaged our reputation was, how our leadership was in question. how the economic crisis had really shaken people's confidence in our government, in our economic system, our
6:37 am
country. part of my job was to restore that. >> we sat down with the secretary of state and really pushed her on whether she will run in 2016? >> that's all anyone really wants to know. she did a global taken hall and most of the questions were about that. earlier in the year, she said definitely not. seems to be giving some wiggle room. let's take a listen. >> in april, you told wolf blitzer, 2016 was not whin your future. are you leaving some wiggle room there? >> no. i am so looking forward to monday, when i have no schedule,
6:38 am
no people to see, nowhere to go. >> the party says the field is clear and open to you until you make your decision. have you decided you absolutely will not run? >> no plans to run. this is not a shermanesque statement, i had not run. we heard all of the people asking if you will run. a pac registered, ready for hilla hillary. >> is there really? >> are you going to tell those people to stand down? >> the president and i had a good laugh the other night. i am out of politics right now, and i don't know everything i'll be doing. working on behalf of women and girls, hopefully writing and speaking. those are the things that i'm planning to do right now. >> that's the key, john. planning to do. no plans right now. i don't know where that falls on your shermanesque scale of definitely will not run, but i think she left the door open.
6:39 am
we also spoke about women in the cabinet. secretary said she, you know, would like to see more women, not only in the cabinet, but in the senate and that they have a long way to go. and those are the kinds of things she would like to be working on. but really looking forward to sleeping in on monday morning, john. >> nowhere on the shermanesque scale. not even close to a denial there. don't want to make too much of it, but not insignificant how much her language changed on will she run in 2016? 39 minutes past the hour. it is official. the u.s. senate tuesday overwhelmingly approved president obama's choice of john kerry to succeed hillary clinton as secretary of state. >> the nomination of john forbes kerry to be the new secretary of state is confirmed. >> kerry could be sworn in for his new post as early as friday. that is secretary clinton's
6:40 am
final day at the state department. if lawmakers in one state get their way, your grandmother will be forced to take her driving test to keep her license. a serious and don'tous issue, coming up. [ male announcer ] pillsbury grands biscuits. delicious. but say i press a few out flat... add some beef sloppy joe sauce... and cheese fold it all up and boom! i just made an unbeatable unsloppy joe pillsbury grands biscuits. let the making begin. pillsbury grands biscuits. dad: you excited for youyeah.st day? ♪ dad: you'll be fine, ok? girl: ok. dad: you look so pretty. ♪ i'm overprotective.
6:41 am
that's why i got a subaru. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. sven gets great rewards for his small business! how does this thing work? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that's ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve great rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? here's your invoice.
6:42 am
6:43 am
welcome back. soledad o'brien joins us with what's ahead on "starting point." we'll talk this morning to boston globe sports columnist dan shaughnessy and george mitchell who released the blistering mitchell report in 2007, focusing on major league
6:44 am
baseball. we'll speak with the a-rod allegations. plus, a veteran gets a successful double arm transpl t transplant. we'll talk to the doctors this morning who made it happen. and the life of pi. have you read the book? >> i saw the movie. >> i read the book, when you read the book, you think you could never turn this book into a movie. they were able to do it, and, of course, a big success. we'll talk with screen writer david mckee. how they were able to pull together the elements of a man talking to a tiger on a boat. >> they did a fantastic job, i had say. everybody who watched it, they say read the book. you are missing out so much. >> the book is amazing. >> thank you. >> kids are too young i think. >> 44 minutes past the hour. president obama turning up the pressure on congress on immigration reform. during yesterday's speech at a las vegas high school, he told the crowd, the time is now. if congress doesn't act in a
6:45 am
timely fashion, he will put up his own legislation for a vote. white house correspondent brianna keilar explains what's different about the president's plan. >> let me start off by thanking everybody for hosting this. >> reporter: the president spoke to this high school with the majority latino student body to roll out the details of what he calls the number one legislative priority in the second term. >> the time has come for common sense, comprehensive, immigration reform. the time is now. >> reporter: just 24 hours after a bipartisan group of senators unveiled their outline of an immigration reform bill, the president delivered a warning. >> if congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion, i will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist they vote on it right away. >> reporter: it includes a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million
6:46 am
undocumented immigrants living in the u.s. requiring applicants undergo background checks, pay taxes and a penalty, and learn english. it would crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers. >> it won't be a quick process, but it will be a fair process, and it will lift these individuals out of the shadows and give them a chance to earn their way to a green card and eventually to citizenship. >> reporter: the president's plan does not outline a guest worker program. nor does it tie a pathway to citizenship to tighter border security. both part of the senate compromise plan that florida's marco rubio has helped broker. >> that is a bright line for most of us involved in the effort. >> reporter: appearing on the rush limbaugh show, rubio appeared to win him over. >> what you are doing is admirable and noteworthy. you are recognizing reality. >> reporter: some conservatives fear granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants may encourage more to come.
6:47 am
>> it doesn't matter if it was clinton or reagan. if you grant amnesty, what do you get? more am niesy. more illegalent troo entry. we want to make sure we have learned those lessons. >> brianna keilar, washington. this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news this morning. severe weather slamming into tennessee and reports from kentucky as well. reports of tornadoes in the region. two tornadoes warnings in alabama, one in tennessee, three in kentucky. so far, one confirmed dead according to affiliates in nashville. we spoke to wilson county, tennessee, emergency management who said there was a family trapped inside a mobile home. we looked at the pictures from there. we have seen roofs ripped off buildings. tractor-trailers tossed around like toys. school districts closing up shop for the day.
6:48 am
one person we're told has been killed from the severe line of storms passing through the region, that line is mostly through, we are told by people on the ground, but heed the warnings, because winds blowing very fast, and moving very quickly, you will not have a lot of time to keep cover. follow us, we'll keep you up to speed. >> take an 18-wheeler and toss it on its side, that's powerful. let's get you up to date on the top stories. wall street will flirt with all-time highs. dow in reach within the 14,000 benchmark. 200 points shy of the all-time high. s & p 500 also near a record. closing at 1508 yesterday. less than 60 points from a record high. with the possibility of tighter gun laws and guns flying off the shelves. one gun store in san diego is offering the do it yourself option. sell you all the parts you need to build your own gun as long as you pass a background check. it's legal to build your own
6:49 am
firearm as long as you don't sell it. how old is too old to be on the road? new hampshire lawmakers are debating a law that would require elderly drivers to take the road test before they renew their license. some say it's age discrimination, and others say it is a public safety issue, and 85 is a good marker to retest. music: "make someone happy"
6:50 am
music: "make someone happy" ♪it's so important to make meone happy.♪.♪it's so e ♪make just one heart to heart you - you sing to♪ ♪one smile that cheers you ♪one face that lights when it nears you.♪ ♪and you will be happy too. hey, buddy? oh, hey, flo. you want to see something cool? snapshot, from progressive. my insurance company told me not to talk to people like you. you always do what they tell you? no... try it, and see what your good driving can save you. you don't even have to switch. unless you're scared. i'm not scared, it's... you know we can still see you. no, you can't. pretty sure we can... try snapshot today -- no pressure.
6:51 am
6:52 am
352 minutes past the hour.
6:53 am
breaking weather news. indra peterson is tracking the storm for us. what is the latest there? >> in the beginning of the morning, most of the activity around central tennessee. we have tornado warnings in effect in the region, now, though, we are starting to see more developing across this line. right there east of louisville, starting to see a lot of tornado warning boxes popping up and through northern portions of alabama. continuinging to see severe weather boxes and tornado warnings. these are quick-moving cells. take cover. pay attention to the surroundings out there. we'll talk about how large the weather event is. 1,600 miles, extending from michigan straight down to louisiana. this will remain with us throughout the day as it stays ahead of the cold front. it will slow down a little bit. as it pushes through the south it starts to lift. the trough will start to lift out here and will take some time
6:54 am
for storms to kick out. we'll talk about the timing of the event. this is where the line is currently. as we go through the afternoon and pushes through atlanta. daytime heating and we'll start to see storms wrap up. hard to believe considering they are so strong at this hour. through the evening, dealing with a line of severe weather. going all the way down through the southeast. >> indra, thank you very much. video we want to share with you. a mobile home park nashville, tennessee. some of the mobile homes destroyed. you can see downed trees there, and, you know, firefighters on the scene right there. we imagine police officers as well, trying to see if there are injured folks on the ground. oh, my goodness. look at those pictures. this is just in credible. nashville, tennessee. about to go out of those pictures, but look at this. indra says this is a fast-moving storm. take cover, and, of course, mobile homes are very susceptible. not equipped to withstand the
6:55 am
heavy winds. we'll continue to follow the developing story and see if we have injuries on the ground there as well. >> a line of fast-moving storms. alabama, kentucky, tennessee, all being hit. wind gusts over 105 miles an hour. one person confirmed dead. stay with us, we'll be right back. [ nyquil bottle ] hey tylenol, you know we're kinda like twins. [ tylenol bottle ] we are? yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. and these come together, one thing you can depend on is that these will come together. delicious and wholesome. some combinations were just meant to be. tomato soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.
6:56 am
[ male announcer ] how could a luminous protein in jellyfish, impact life expectancy in the u.s., real estate in hong kong, and the optics industry in germany? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. with investment information, risks, fees and expenses meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. when you're carrying a lot of weight, c-max has a nice little trait,
6:57 am
you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate. but that's not all you'll see, cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid.
6:58 am
looking at live radar pictures of the southeast this morning, where a line of severe thunderstorms is passing through the area. already tornado warnings in alabama, tennessee, kentucky,
6:59 am
mississippi might be affected as well. one death confirmed as of this time. >> this is unusual for this time of year, january. the next 12 to 18 hours we understand is critical. heed the warnings, folks, very, very dangerous and fast moving. >> we'll stay on this all morning. that's all for "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm zorai aida sambolin. "starting point" starts with right now. >> you are watching "starting point." breaking news, storms spreading a path of destruction, widespread damage from kentucky to tennessee and tornado warnings are still in effect right now. a child held hostage after a man boards a school bus, shoots the driver, grabs a 6-year-old boy and takes him to an underground bunker he has been building for years. rally on. markets nearing an all-time high. why? can it

150 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on